Hellooo! Thank you so much for all your support :)
I took a bit to update because I went back to work this week after two weeks of vacations, and I started a new position, so it's been crazy.
But, here we go!
I hope you love this as much as I do.
Remember when I said I fell in love with Felix? Well, now I fell for Demetri, and Alec has had my heart since chapter one. I never imagined I would write something like this and enjoy it so much.
Anyway. Enjoy!
THE LOCKET.
Chapter 11.
Home.
She kept going over the word in her mind. A warm feeling that had nothing to do with her feelings for him settled in her heart. She mulled over the word. She knew what he meant by it, but it still took her by surprise. She'd been trying to describe the feeling she had with her mates. She thought the word safety summarized it perfectly. Contentment, happiness, realization, comfort. All these words she had said in her mind that felt short to describe the radical turn her life took in just a month.
But she'd never landed on the word home. And the reason was sad. She'd never had a home. She thought living with Renee was home, but it never felt like it. Then, she thought living with Charlie would finally make her feel that. Yet, again, it didn't. She loved going to the Quileute reservation; the wolves had become her friends in a short time, yet, it was never her home.
The Cullens were the closest thing she ever had to home. People who accepted her not because they had to but because they wanted to. People who went out of their way to welcome her into their home. It had started as being Edward's girlfriend, but that's not how it continued. Though in the end, they chose to leave without a goodbye, making her wonder if she had ever mattered to them.
Bella was not a big believer in fate, but she had to admit that everything in her life felt too coincidental. Her mom meeting Phillip, a minor league baseball player that had to travel too much. Bella volunteering to move with Charlie to allow her mom to be with her new husband. Bella meeting the Cullens and falling in love with Edward, then his leaving. The wolves, Alice, Carlisle's painting in his study, Edward telling her he'd kill himself if she ever died. And finally, her coming here. Life was a road of little choices: from what shirt to wear to the most critical decision regarding world peace.
Every decision she ever made led her here.
Home.
Because this was what this place had become in such a short time. Home. It was what had allowed her to lower or dispose of all of her barriers and bare her soul. What allowed her to open her mind to the news of having three mates. And ultimately, to fall in love.
Home.
She was finally home.
She smiled brightly and kissed Felix's brow. "Me neither. Not until I came here and discovered I had three mates."
He smiled brightly at her. A smile that she had rarely seen. One that was reserved for her, and those he trusted the most. It was not the cheeky smile he often gave her. The mischievous one he shot her to tease her.
She stayed there until she fell asleep and fell into Morpheus' kingdom.
…
…
…
Murmurs in the room took her out of her slumber. She frowned, still unsure if the voices were part of her dream or outside her head.
"Put some pants on, dammit." One of the voices said.
There was a masculine chuckle.
Then another voice. "Nothing you haven't seen before. And nothing you probably won't see in the future."
An exasperated sigh.
"Put. Your. Damn. Pants. On." She frowned in her sleep.
If this was a dream, her mind was quite rude.
"Lower your voices. You'll wake her." A third voice said, whispering.
Everything went quiet again, and she sighed happily, burying her face in her pillow. The movement causing her hair to fall out of the ponytail she'd put it in last night. It bothered her, but she was too comfortable to move it.
"You marked her?!" The first voice asked loudly.
Bella frowned. This was definitely not her mind. There were voices in her room.
"Lower your voice." The third voice said.
"Shut up. Alec. What did you do?"
The name the first voice called registered in her mind, making her groan, frustrated. But they were too busy discussing to pay any attention to the sleeping human.
"Yes. She is my mate as well. I marked her. Why are your panties in a twist?" The second voice mocked.
"You told her what it was, right?" The third voice asked.
"Shut up." She groaned from her place.
Again, they continued.
"Of course I told her."
"Shut the fuck up." She repeated loudly. "Take your discussion where the human is not sleeping."
That caught their attention.
"Sorry, sweetheart. Force of habit." A kiss to her temple.
She might have forgiven them had they not woken her up.
"I don't care. Take your habit someplace else, and let me sleep."
Two more kisses on her brow and the soft click of the door later she sighed.
Stupid vampires, they could whisper so low, but they chose to speak at a human volume.
Stupid vampires and their sweet words. She stumbled out of bed and locked the door. Stupid vampires could stay out of her room until she was sufficiently awake to allow them to enter again.
She climbed back in underneath the covers and, with surprising ease, fell back asleep.
Three knocks in her room rose her once more. It was clear outside, though that wasn't proof of anything. Being summer, the sun rose at 5 am and went to sleep at 10 pm.
"Oh my god! I swear if it's not a decent hour, I'm gonna hide for the next five days!" She put on her clothes and stumbled to the door, unlocking it and getting face to face with Felix.
Felix, who looked too smug for her grumpiness. "What do you want?"
"Well, Princess, since this is my room, I need to retrieve some things to go on about my work day."
She flipped in the middle finger and walked back to bed.
She heard him chuckle but didn't deign to respond before she fell back asleep.
Felix shook his head amusedly. He could have broken into his own room without disturbing her, but he lived to tease her. And she was gorgeous when grumpy with lack of sleep.
…
…
…
The following two days were a whirlwind of activity for her mates. They had to leave for a mission and wouldn't return for two or three days. She said goodbye to each of them at the garage with a deep kiss and a promise from them to be careful and contact her whenever it was safe.
When she heard they'd return two days later, she went straight to Demetri's room. It's not that she'd missed him the most because she'd missed them equally, but Demetri had been the one she'd spent less time with in the past week, and she missed him terribly.
As if in sync, she opened the bedroom door just as he was exiting the bathroom in nothing but a towel. Twice in one week. Was the universe trying to tell her something?
"I swear you have a sixth sense to catch me like this." He grinned.
She ran to his arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. "I miss you."
He walked to the bed and deposited her there gently. Then, he put one strand of hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek with the delicacy and sweetness of a flower petal.
"I miss you too, sweetheart." And just like that, they lay in bed holding each other. Demetri didn't even bother to put on some clothes, and who would complain about having a gorgeous man lying naked next to you?
Demetri might be the most responsible of her mates, the eternal captain of the guard, always strategizing and looking out for the others, but with her, he was just Demetri. Sweet, compassionate, funny, dirty, stubborn, and protective Demetri. One hell of a man that he doesn't let the world see.
"How was your mission?" And she loved to hear him talk about anything. He was passionate about many things, and it was a wonder to see the world through his eyes.
"It was very boring, to be honest. We heard rumors of trouble in the area and were sent to investigate."
"Are the rumors true?"
He shrugged. "So far, we didn't find any signs of it being true, but one can never be too cautious in these situations."
"Are you in danger over it?"
He shook his head. "We didn't intervene or get close enough for the vampire to sniff us out. So, so far, we have the advantage."
It was not a no. Which meant there was a chance of them being targeted for this. She didn't like it. She knew it was their job and, soon, hers, but she was still allowed to worry about them.
"Is it scary? Knowing that you have a target on your back for enforcing the law? For being with the Volturi?"
"Yes and no." He took a few seconds to gather his thoughts. "Yes, because I know what I would lose if I fail, and no because I'm confident I won't. I'm not smug or cocky about it. I'm confident in my abilities and that Caius would dispose of anyone inside who would dare betray us."
It was the first time they spoke of whatever Caius did. She'd seen him around, but he mostly ignored her. She was more than ok with that; he was kind of intimidating.
She hummed in response to his words. "It can also be empowering." He admitted after a long silence. " 'Motivating' would be the correct word. I know what I stand to lose. And I don't mean dying at enemie's hands or dying at the Volturi's. I mean losing my footing in this world. Most of the vampire world is ruled by the survival of the fittest. It has nothing to do with what diet you follow. If you can believe it, the Cullens are not the only ones who feed on animals."
It shouldn't surprise her, but it did. Human vegetarians and vegans were also very common. Why couldn't it be the same with vampires?
"If I lose my status in here, I lose my home. Many out there think we're kept here by Chelsea; she can manipulate bonds. And while that might be true for some, it's not for all of us. I chose to stay here. And I'm happy here. Why wouldn't I be? I have a roof over my head, more money than I know what to do with, and I have a purpose."
This was the most she'd heard him speak.
"I understand." And she did. It felt similar to what she saw in Carlisle and his passion for medicine.
She'd never have that drive in life. Although, she could have the excuse that 19 years on this earth wasn't long enough to develop a hunger for the world. Especially when you had to grow up due to parental neglect, heartbreak, and betrayal.
He stayed silent for a few seconds before humming and stretching his arm toward his bedside table and grabbing an envelope. "That reminds me, this arrived for you."
She frowned. Mail via post, for her? "What is it?" She asked, opening it. The question was rendered rhetoric when she pulled out two cards courtesy of Citadelle Bank.
"One is a credit card, and the other is a debit card." He said as if it were the most obvious thing ever.
Which it was. But it also wasn't.
"They're both addressed to Isabella Volturi."
Demetri nodded. "Your new name. We couldn't have anything tracing back to an Isabella Swan who was supposed to be dead. Though I'm sure you're not the only Isabella Swan in the world, Caius prefers avoiding conflict."
"You're not making any sense. What does Caius have to do with me getting two cards from a bank I've never heard of in my life?"
Demetri stood up, grabbed his laptop, and sat back next to her, pulling up the bank's page. She was confused, but that didn't stop her from ogling her man and the way that ass moved under the towel or the flex of his muscles as he sat. He took the papers from Bella's hand, typed in a few things, and the next thing Bella knew, she was seeing her name in bold letters on top of a gross amount of money.
"Where did that money come from?"
"Caius manages the finances for the Volturi. He is a genius when it comes to money, and the Volturi has been an established organization for centuries. Think old money meets the oldest money there could be and multiply it by the biggest number you could think of. They are sickeningly wealthy."
Bella nodded, understanding that. She imagined the Cullens were similar, with Carlisle working and possibly saving and investing since the seventeenth century. But that still didn't answer her question.
"I still don't understand where the money came from." She frowned.
Demetri chuckled. "From your work with Marcus, of course."
"Really?"
"Did you think you were working for free?"
She nodded. Honestly, she was ashamed to ask about money, and since the kitchen was fully stocked and someone had bought her an obscene amount of clothes (including underwear, shoes, socks, etc.), she had very little reason to ask about it or complain.
"Wait, where did my clothes come from?"
"Alec. Didn't he tell you?"
"Alec bought my clothes?"
"Why are you so surprised about all of this? Did you think you wouldn't be paid for your work here?"
"Demetri, I don't come from a wealthy family. We lived comfortably enough, but I have worked since I was fourteen. I saved my own money and used it to buy my school supplies and anything I might need. My parents paid for school, and I was cared for, but that's it. When I came here, I didn't think this would be work. I really had no expectations at all. I still don't know how this organization works. And I never asked where anything came from because I am human, and I know it's a burden on the kings to have another human here."
Demetri put his computer aside and faced her. His expression so serious that she felt sorry for whoever had to face that sort of expression in less friendly circumstances.
"No one here thinks that you're a burden." He emphasized his point by encasing her face delicately between his big hands. "I bet Aro would let you stay human however long you want, as long as he can keep an eye on you. The only reason he's allowing your change is because it benefits him long-term and because you asked for it."
Bella's eyes widened.
"As for how this organization works, I'll explain that later to you. Let's focus on you first. Your clothes came from Alec. He went himself to buy everything you might need. I think he went overboard, but he was happy to do so. The kitchen is always stocked because of Gianna. She lives in the castle as well but in another area. She hopes to be changed one day, but in the meantime, she lives here."
Bella nodded. She had thought that one of her mates had been responsible for her clothes, or at least the girls, but since no one ever commented, she stopped wondering about it.
"Did Alec buy everything in my closet?"
Demetri raised an eyebrow at her tone, suspecting what she wanted to know. "Yes, why?"
She laughed and blushed at the same time. Demetri marveled that she had had wild enough sex to be marked by her vampire mate and still blushed at the thought of another of her mates buying her clothes and possibly underwear, judging by her blush. "He bought very revealing and interesting underwear and sleep clothes."
She had to admit she'd never worn underwear as comfortable as the ones she had now or pajamas as soft.
Demetri chuckled. "That was all him. You'll have to take it up with him. I honestly thought you knew. That's why we've never brought it up."
Bella was so moved that Alec had bought so many things for her without knowing her. The clothes had been there for her when she made it to her room on the second day of arriving at the castle. She must have been too jet-lagged to notice.
Her heart warmed. Alec didn't know her, didn't know if she wanted to be his mate, she didn't know his name, and yet, he'd gone out of his way to go and buy her the essentials and more. He bought that delicious coconut kit of shampoo, conditioner, soap, and body lotion. He'd bought her the sexiest and skimpiest underwear. He'd bought her pads, tampons, toothbrush, and toothpaste. So many things that made her room feel so homie. He hadn't bought anything personal, like frames or decorations, but he didn't need to. The clothes spoke for themselves. He'd loved her since the first day, before knowing her, before confirming the mate bond.
The knowledge cemented a decision in her mind. She grabbed his phone from the space between them and asked her mates to come in ten minutes. There was one more thing she wanted to know. He stood to put on some clothes now that the other two were coming. Such a shame.
"Can I ask you a question and tell you a secret?"
"Of course, sweetheart."
"Are you or Alec jealous that I slept with Felix first and alone?"
Demetri kissed her brow, her cheek, her chin, and finally, her mouth. "You think too much about other people and too little about you." She raised an eyebrow. "No, sweetheart. We are not jealous, or upset, or angry, or anything. We're happy you feel comfortable enough and trust us so much already."
Yes. She must have done something so good in either a past life or during her life to be given such royal treatment now.
"What's the secret?"
"Felix was the first guy I ever had sex with." She blushed softly. Ironically, softer than when she realized Alec had bought her underwear.
"I'm sure he was honored you trust him that much. We're happy you're happy."
Yes, that was what worried her a bit. That everything they did was for her happiness, that they were forgetting about theirs just to please her. She wanted them to be happy with her. But before conveying her decision, she wanted to clear the air on that subject. She didn't have to wait long because her other two mates walked through the door. Alec, for the first time, took the seat next to her while Felix sat at her feet. Both of them greeting her with a kiss on the cheek.
"I have a question for you three, and I want absolute honesty. Raw, brutal, honesty. Are we clear?" They all nodded solemnly. "Are you happy?"
It was such a simple question, yet so raw and full of intimacy and depth.
"Yes, princess. I am happy."
"Why are you happy?" She pressed.
"Because I have a home, I have a job, and I have a family." Felix had called her home the night before. So, she understood his answer for what it was.
Alec squeezed her hand. "I am happy, darling. You make me happy. You accept me for who I am, you are not scared of me, and you inspire me to be the best version of myself. I also have a home, a job I like, and finally, I feel like my family is complete."
She kissed his cheek.
She looked at Demetri. "You challenge me; you make me want to open my soul for you. I want you in my head so you can see what I can't put into words. 'I love you' doesn't amount to what I feel for you. I love you because, with you, I see a future. Home is wherever you go."
She nodded and kissed his cheek.
"Ok. That being said. I want you to change me. Now."